The summer sun (no, that doesn´t mean it´s warm!) is shining today in El Calafate, Argentina. It´s great to feel its warm rays, and to forget that sun's cousins, rain and wind, are on temporary leave. Since Bariloche, I´ve made my way south over the past week. I spent a few days in El Bolsón (think Seattle or Boulder, yuppie hippies and farmers markets), El Chaltén (the "Trekking capital of Patagonia"), and El Calafate (a tourist town, gateway to Glaciar Perito Moreno). The bus ride from Bariloche to El Calafate is more than 35 hours in duration, along the infamous Route 40, the gravel "highway" along the eastern side of the Andes. While Route 40 is slowly becoming more paved, it is a road literally through nowhere, unless you count the scrubby bushes, dirt, and incredibly expansive views as somewhere. It´s been good to break the journey up with a few stops, and to experience more of Patagonia along the way.
El Bolsón
I spent a few days in El Bolsón, initially huddled in my tent or coffee shops, escaping the wind and rain. However, the sun eventually did shine, and I got in two day hikes, along blue blue rivers and through some nice forests. My first day I hiked with two Argentine ladies, the second day with three climbers from the U.S. who I´d met near Refugio Frey. They were waiting for the weather to clear (this can be a 2-3 week project in Patagonia) so they could return to Refugio Frey and get in some trad climbing.
El Chaltén
On the bus ride from El Bolsón to El Chaltén, I met up with a girl from France (Sophi) and a guy from Isreal (Oren). We ended up heading into the northern part of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares together, and had a great time making Israeli coffee, laughing over English-Spanish-Hebrew-French translation errors, and also delighting in the fact that YES, we actually saw Cerro Torre and the Fitz Roy! Before we arrived, people had waited four days or more for views of these incredible rock mountains. On our second day in the park, the skies cleared, and we stared in aw at the ragged beauty of these two formations. After three days/three nights in the backcountry, we all headed out, continuing the trek south.
El Calafate
From El Chaltén to El Calafate Sophi and I hitched a ride with a local singer and her sound guy. The two hours flew by, with great views out the back of our hitched vehicle, and sharing mate (the local tea) and conversation with two Argentineans. Since arrive in El Calafate, Sophi and I rented a car with three other people (it was cheaper than the bus) and visited the Glaciar Perito Moreno (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perito_Moreno_Glacier). The glaciar is quite outstanding to see, as small and large chuncks of ice are constantly falling into the lake. The glaciar itself juts out 74 meters above the water; it's very beautiful, and one of the few glaciars in the world that is currently growing, not reatreating.
Our second day in El Calafate was spent as an "administrative day," catching up on emails and sleep. I also had a job (through Skype) interview with a company that leads international trips for students - Putney (http://www.goputney.com/), based out of Vermont. The interview went great, I was offered a job, and will spend the month of July co-leading a group of students in either Costa Rica, El Salvador, or Argentina. I´m excited to try education from a more experiential, out-of-the-classroom perspective, and also guide high school students through the experience of traveling and communicating in a different country. This means that I actually have plans (yikes!) and will be making my way back to Colorado mid-June after flying back up to the U.S. for leader orientation in Vermont.
Continuing South...
In just an hour or so, Sophi and I will pack up, again heading south. However, this time the hope is to arrive at Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego "por dedo" - a.k.a hitchhiking. It´s pretty common and safe to hitchhike in Patagonia, and also a lot more interesting, with more contact time with local people. Hopefully I will be able to post again in a few days, (2-4?) from the southernmost part of the Americas! Wish us luck!
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